Comcast to create a Blockchain Software; to be available in 2019

Comcast Cable Advertising (CCA), a division of Comcast Corporation unveiled its next phase of Blockgraph, with plans of making it commercially available in 2019, as per their press release published on December 21.

Blockgraph is a blockchain-based software that intends to help television and media companies to secure personal data and distribute information. With Comcast, there are other industry players like Viacom and Spectrum Reach working on this project.

“Viacom has long been committed to advancements in television advertising and industry collaboration to deliver better ads for clients and enhance the consumer experience. We’re happy to partner with Comcast on Blockgraph’s technology and platform to facilitate the valuable exchange of data insights as a necessary catalyst to scale our collective capabilities.”

Comcast is a global media company that offers services like cable television, telecom and internet services. Comcast is also the second largest broadcasting company in the world in terms of revenue and the largest TV company in the United States with US$84.526 billion (2017) in revenue.

Blockgraph will provide an “identity layer” for the TV industry, thereby providing a platform for media companies to share non-identifiable user data to third parties.

Since it is a peer to peer platform, it allows participants to match their data directly with one another and preserve consumer privacy.

David Kline, Executive Vice President and Vice President of Spectrum, commented:

“It’s imperative that the use of data prioritizes the privacy of consumers’ personal information,” he also added, “Blockgraph’s technology offers enhanced security and privacy protections by allowing all players within the TV ecosystem to directly share insights derived from anonymized and aggregated information. We support this initiative believing it will help set the standard for secure information sharing in the years to come.”

Previously, the American Media had maligned Comcast by terming the media company as “Worst Company in America” by various publications. Earlier in the day, Minnesota Attorney General Lori Swanson filed a lawsuit against Comcast Corporation/Xfinity, alleging them of charging customers more than what was promised initially.

The platform has been in production for two years, under Comcast’s ad-tech brand, Freewheel. NBC Universal, a subsidiary of Comcast is working together with the media company to test Blockchain’s capabilities before the platform is commercially available.

If Blockgraph escalates throughout the TV industry, the ad exposures can only get more efficient and valuable, facilitating a more improved monetization for publishers. We believe this can be beneficial for consumers, also offering them with a less disrupted experience.